I am very selective of my worlds, I don't want to rush around stopping Pirate raids, only if it already hs Pink, blue or purple spice, or can help me annex enemy empires. I have about 24 stars, but as far as uplifted species, I have about 74. 60 uplifted creatures, all of them vassels, I got Diplomat easily. The best part is that I can attack one without any of the others caring, so if one is a Spode loving bastard, I can just demolish them and replace them with a "Healthy" race. All of my 14 colonies are T3/T2.